Expecting the Unexpected
by Blue Penguin Lightning
Summary: [collab with bella1985] Seven years after Hollywood Arts, Beck and Jade are happily married. But when an unexpected surprise appears, Beck and Jade will need all the help they can get.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Victorious. Dan Schneider does.

* * *

_So, bella1985 and I started working on this project about a year ago when I messaged her and told her I had this really crazy idea. And tonight, we made the executive decision to post it online for all of you._

_We hope you like it and please let us know what you think._

_We're both excited and terrified to take this journey._

* * *

**Chapter 1**

* * *

Jade groaned as her alarm clock went off at four in the morning. It wasn't even her time to get up! It was Beck's. He was in the middle of filming his action picture, _Stormed_. Beck had lucked out and gotten cast into the movies right after high school, making him the eye of all teenage girls all over again. Even though it had been almost eight years since his first film release, girls were still after him. Suffice to say: Jade felt like she was in high school every time they left the house, even though they were married.

Jade, on the other hand, hadn't quite achieved the same level of success that her husband had. She had a wonderful run on a television show that had been cancelled far before its time. She didn't understand why it had been cancelled, especially since it had been nominated for two Emmys but perhaps it was for the best. Jade had learned a lot from the three seasons she had done and she had grown as an actress and as a person.

"Get up," Jade moaned, pushing her husband out of bed and onto the floor. If that stupid alarm clock was going to wake her up at four in the morning when it wasn't her fault to begin with, she was going to make sure that Beck knew she wasn't happy having to get up at four in the morning with him.

Beck rubbed the side of his face as he lifted himself off the hardwood floor. Somehow, he had missed the rug, not that it would have provided much comfort if he had landed on it.

"You know," he yawned, "you don't have to get up with me. You're welcome to go back to bed."

Jade threw him one of her famous glares. Beck wasn't sure how, but it had somehow gotten more intense since high school and Beck knew not to upset her any further than she already was.

He made his way to the bathroom and slipped into the shower. The first thirty seconds of his shower were cold. The cold water instantly woke him up, which he definitely needed, considering he was in for a twelve to fifteen hour day on set. Stunt days were always long.

When he finished his shower, he grabbed on the towels draped on the towel rack and wrapped it around his lower body. The one time he didn't, the water had dropped onto the hardwood floor of his bedroom and Beck spent the day in pain after slipping and landing on his back. Upon entering the bedroom, he noticed Jade was still curled up in bed, the pillow on top of her head.

"Trying to decide if you want to go back to sleep?" Beck said with a smirk, fishing a pair of jeans and grey shirt from his dresser.

Jade was not in a joking mood, especially not this early in the morning.

"Shut up," Jade said, getting out of bed, knowing well that trying to get back to sleep was a lost cause at this point. "This is all your fault."

After getting dressed, Beck got back in bed and wrapped his arms around Jade.

"Aw, don't be that way," Beck said.

"I'm allowed to be this way when you wake me at four AM," she muttered.

"I'm sorry!" Beck laughed. "Next time I'll magically wake myself up for work."

"I would love that," Jade said, ignoring Beck's sarcasm.

"Besides, I didn't wake you up. The alarm clock did."

Jade threw another one of her glares at Beck and her husband immediately knew he had overstepped his boundaries.

"I'll go start the coffee," he said.

* * *

"I bring a peace offering," Beck said, handing Jade her morning cup of coffee.

Beck noticed her perk up a bit as soon as the cup was in her hands. He couldn't help but laugh; some things never change.

"Am I forgiven?" Beck asked.

"For now," Jade managed to get out between sips of coffee.

"Good," Beck laughed.

After taking his last sip of coffee and placing his cup in the sink, he grabbed his keys off the edge of the counter.

"Please don't kill your agent when you go to talk to her today," he said, kissing Jade on the cheek. "You know she means well."

"No promises," Jade muttered, taking another sip of the dark beverage which instantly started to make her morning a little better. As she sipped, she heard a random set of beeps ring out.

"And your breakfast," Beck said, placing a chocolate chip muffin in front of her.

"You microwaved the muffin?" Jade asked. "I hate microwaves."

"You _like_ your muffins to be soft but not overcooked and the only way to achieve that is with a microwave. Now, you're going to sit here and eat your muffin and drink your coffee. Then, while I'm at work, you'll talk to your agent and you won't kill her, and I'll see you tonight. I love you."

After kissing his wife goodbye one last time, Beck got in his car and made his way downtown to two old and abandoned warehouses where he was set to film for the day. Today was the day of the big motorcycle stunt and even though Beck wasn't doing the entire stunt, he was still excited for it nonetheless. Today was going to be an action packed day and he was looking forward to it.

When he arrived on location, the wardrobe assistant had whisked him away to get changed before handing him off to the hair and make-up personnel. Today was going to be a long day and the sooner they got started, the better. After getting prepped for the shoot, Beck made his way onto the rooftop where the scene took place. The director immediately called him over and explained what was going to happen.

"Beck, you're going to ride this motorcycle–" the director said, indicating to the vehicle with this hand, "to the edge, do your line, turn the back and start going back as if you're getting ready to jump the building. When you circle around back to the camera, Gary will take over the stunt."

"Got it," Beck said with a nod. It was simple enough.

"Perfect," the director smiled then picked up the megaphone. "Okay people, let's get ready to shoot."

One of the wardrobe assistants ran over to Beck for last minute touch ups, namely the small gash he was supposed to have on the side of his ear from the last scene. They handed him the backpack that he would be using for this scene. The stunt coordinator walked with Beck over to the motorcycle while going over the safety precautions.

"You did great in rehearsal," he smiled as Beck got on the bike. "You'll be fine."

"Thanks," Beck said as everyone got prepared to shoot the first take of the scene. Beck always liked to use the final moments before filming to focus and prepare for the scene.

"Quiet on set!" the director called. Beck saw all the other actors getting lined up as the cameras were being set up.

"Rolling!" a production assistant called.

"Speed," another yelled.

"Scene 27, take 1," a man shouted with the clapper board in front of Beck.

He then snapped the board together and ran off. Beck started up the motorcycle and got ready to drive off.

"And…action!" The director yelled.

Beck sped off on the motorcycle to his marked position on the building. He turned the bike to the side and stopped the way the stunt coordinator had taught him. This was one of Becks favorite parts of his job; he got to learn a lot of new thin, like riding a motorcycle.

"Was this in your job description? You don't seem prepared," Beck said with a cocky attitude, slinging the backpack over his shoulders and circling back toward the camera.

"And cut! Great work, Oliver!" the director called.

Beck smiled and took off the backpack and handed it to Gary. Deep down, Beck was a bit disappointed to not be doing the stunt but since Gary had done a multitude of these stunts in the past and due to the fact he had to jump off the motorcycle mid-air, Beck understood why Gary was doing this and not him.

Beck watched from the sidelines as Gary revved up the motorcycle and began the short trek to the ramp which would launch him and the bike into the air. He couldn't help but to hold his breath as Gary jumped the gap and then off the bike. But when Gary jumped off the bike and landed on the backpack, instead of rolling on his side and standing up to continue the stunt, everyone knew something was wrong.

"Cut!" the director shouted, throwing off his headphones and running over to Gary. "Call an ambulance!"

"You don't even know–" someone started to say but Beck was too in shock. He had worked with Gary before and the stunt had gone perfectly in rehearsal.

"Just do it!"

Most of the crew made their way onto the other building via a small cable bridge they had set up earlier. Only a few of them stayed behind to get a hold of an ambulance, as well as a few other important people.

Within fifteen minutes, the ambulance had arrived and two paramedics rushed up to the roof and placed Gary on the gurney.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Beck asked.

"Yeah. It's just a flesh wound," Gary said, giving Beck the thumbs up sign from the gurney. "We'll call you guys and let you know what's going on. I'll be fine! I've had worse! Much worse!"

"Let's call it a day. We'll call you guys with what's going on. Consider this a day off," the director said as he followed the paramedics down. He had every intention of going to the hospital to make sure Gary was alright.

Beck turned to one of the camera guys. "Gary will be okay, right?"

The camera guy nodded his head. "He might be reckless at times but Gary heals up quick. Give him a week and he'll be running through a burning building. The guy can't stay away from stunts."

Beck nodded his head. He had known Gary for a few years and Gary had always managed to bounce back and it was usually within a few days. After changing back into his jeans and grey shirt, Beck grabbed his phone and saw he had a text message from his wife.

_I won't kill my agent although I might yell at her. That's the best you'll get out of me._

Beck couldn't help but smile. He knew Jade's agent wasn't going to be happy with his wife's decision to take some time off but Beck supported Jade and if this is what she wanted to do, then he was going to let her do it.

Although…Jade would probably be a bit on the bitter side when she got out of the meeting.

And with that, a plan started to hatch inside the brain of Beck Oliver…one that both he and his wife would thoroughly enjoy.

* * *

When Jade arrived home, she was exhausted as she threw her purse on the couch. Her agent had spent the last couple of hours trying to make Jade realize that taking the next six months off from auditioning to attempt to write a television show was not a wise idea. But Jade had already made her mind up. She wanted to try something different.

"I take it your meeting did not end well," Beck said, coming downstairs upon hearing his wife's entrance.

"You were supposed to be working late," Jade sputtered back.

"We finished earlier than we expected and I thought I would surprise you," Beck said. Well, it wasn't a complete lie. The director had in fact called for an early day after they had to rush one of the stuntmen to the hospital. Turned out that it was a broken collarbone and he would need to be replaced.

Jade looked at him, almost suspiciously. "What did you do?"

Beck shook his head and stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Jade. Even now, Jade still melted with his touch.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Beck smiled then kissed her slowly.

Although Jade enjoyed her husband being so affectionate she couldn't help but feel suspicious. Beck had to be hiding something.

"Sure," she said sarcastically, pulling away from Beck.

"Oh come on babe," Beck laughed. He lifted Jade so her legs were wrapped around his waist. He brought her over to the kitchen counter and gently sat her on top.

Jade smiled as Beck ran his hands slowly up her legs. She grabbed the sides of his face and pulled him into a passionate kiss. After a few moments of kissing, Jade's conscious started to kick in. She slid off the counter as Beck started kissing her neck.

"So, you gonna tell me what this is really about?" she sighed.

"Hmm?" Beck asked not taking his lips away from his wife's neck.

"Beck," she said in a wary tone. When he said nothing, she wiggled out of his arms and began walking away.

"Jade," Beck called. He grabbed her from behind and pulled her towards his chest, embracing her. "There's nothing to tell, I just thought this would be nice."

"So what's planned next in this surprise?" she asked. While she wouldn't always say it, she loved being in Beck's arms. Beck made her feel safe, happy, and loved.

"Go upstairs and you'll see," he teased.

"Oh really?"

"There's a present waiting for you in the bathroom upstairs," he whispered as he bit her ear playfully. "I think you'll like it. I know I will."

"You've done something wrong," Jade said almost instantly.

Beck shook his head. Yes, in the past, when Beck had majorly screwed up, he would try to give Jade the best time of her life before telling her the awful news. But this time…well, he just wanted to spoil Jade…because he could.

"You'll like it," he said softly, placing another kiss on her neck.

Jade smiled. If Beck was taking this many measures to spoil her, she knew she should just enjoy it, especially since they weren't able to do it very often. She followed the trail of rose petals that led her upstairs to the bedroom, which was only lit by candles and decorated with more rose petals. She shook her head at how cheesy Beck was making this moment but she knew this was what she was getting into when she married him.

Upon entering the bathroom, Jade was met with a myriad of dark red and black candles, which dimly lit up the room, much like in the bedroom. On the counter of the sink, was a medium sized crimson red gift box, tied with a black ribbon. When Jade opened it, she found a lacy baby doll black negligee.

So this is what Beck meant he said he wanted to spoil her…well…two can play at the game. She quickly changed into the sexy number and spruced herself up a bit. Beck was lying under the black silk sheets when Jade emerged from the bathroom, completely ready and eager for spoiling.

"I wanted to spoil you a little," Beck justified.

"You wanted to spoil me, did you?" she teased. She climbed onto him and straddled his hips.

"Yes, yes I did."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Victorious. Dan Schneider does.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

* * *

Jade awoke to find Beck's arm wrapped securely around her waist, holding her tightly. This was her favorite way to wake up. It had been this way for the past few days. Thanks to Gary's injury, the studio was under fire from the media, forcing all projects to be postponed for a few days. While Beck felt bad about Gary's injury, he certainly didn't mind the extra time off, especially now that his wife had time off too.

So over the course of the last few days, Beck and Jade had barely spent a moment apart. After going through several months of barely getting to see each other, getting a chance to spend some quality time with each other meant more than they would say. But after almost a week off, Beck got called back to his movie, meaning he would see his wife a little less.

When Beck had to go back to work, Jade woke up a few hours after him and immediately missed being in his embrace. She made her way downstairs to make her morning coffee. She found a note attached to her beloved machine.

_Would you mind doing the grocery shopping? Frozen fish isn't exactly appropriate for breakfast when you only have fifteen minutes to eat. And quite honestly, we shouldn't even have it in the house. _

_-Beck_

Jade considered balling up the note before a better idea popped into her head. She found a candle and lit it. Once the ember was stable, she held the note to the flame and carefully maneuvered it around until the note became bits of ash.

"You're the one who wanted the frozen fish," she mumbled. She grabbed the bag of frozen fish filets out of the freezer and threw them in the trash before resuming her coffee-making routine. She opened up the top cabinet where all the coffee was kept. She found another note.

_Also, I had to take the last bit of coffee._

_-Beck_

It was a good thing that Beck wasn't home because Jade would have yelled at him like no tomorrow. There was only one rule that Beck was supposed to follow and that was to _never_ take the last bit of coffee. He knew that taking the last little bit of the coffee would be dangerous but he didn't want to fall asleep on set, especially since he was running late and didn't have time to stop somewhere to get some. He had seen Jade without her coffee before and well, let's just say that his worst nightmare didn't even begin to classify the events that went on that morning.

Jade grabbed one of the spare notebooks she had lying in her office in order to take inventory of what they needed in the house. When she and Beck bought the decently sized townhome, they had converted the second bedroom into an office for Jade and her writing. It was also her refuge when her life got too out of hand, which happened more often than not with her agent.

Even though Beck and Jade were doing well in the finance department, quite well for being twenty-six and twenty-five respectively, they didn't want to overindulge in their living quarters. While their place wasn't exactly small, it wasn't extravagant either. Just a medium sized, two-story townhome. But since Beck and Jade weren't always home, and were rarely home at the same time, neither one of them wanted to come home to a large _empty_ home.

As she headed back downstairs, the first thing on Jade's list was coffee, which wasn't a surprise. The woman _adored_ coffee and it ranked just below Beck, granted he hadn't done something to upset Jade. She opened the fridge and scowled. Beck was supposed to do the shopping and he had pushed it off on Jade and they were out of practically everything.

In her frustration, Jade threw the notebook down on the counter and grabbed her purse and car keys. She would just figure out it when she got to the store.

* * *

Upon arriving at the store, she grabbed a cart and one of the weekly ads that always had a few coupons in them. There was a good sale going on and many of the foods that she and Beck frequently enjoyed did happen to be on sale, including mangos.

Jade started out in the produce section, checking over the myriad of fruits of vegetables before stocking up on almost all of them. As she filled a good section of her cart, she thought that perhaps it was a good thing she was doing the shopping. Beck probably would have stocked up on microwavable foods and Jade didn't particularly care for them at all. She didn't even like it when Beck reheated foods in the microwave. Had she had her way, they never would have bought a microwave at all.

Not wanting to give Beck a reason to complain about any type of frozen food or give him any reason to use the microwave, Jade completely skipped the frozen food aisles that she had saved for last and made her way over to the fresh proteins that were on display. Beck had been going on and on about how much he enjoyed fish but apparently frozen fish wasn't working. So, Jade figured that since Beck had been spoiling her during his time off, she could return the favor and prepare him some fresh fish.

As Jade examined the multitude of fish behind the glass, she was overcome with a sickening feeling from the smell of the seafood that sat in front of her. It couldn't have been rotten; she just watched one of the employees lay it out on fresh ice and it wasn't like the store would lay out rotten fish to sell it. Not wanting to test to waters to find out how long she could stave off the nausea, Jade made her way over to the checkout and headed home.

* * *

When Jade arrived home, the nausea still hadn't quelled down. In fact, it had gotten worse as she unpacked and put away all the groceries. Typically, when Jade didn't feel good, Beck would make her a mango smoothie. So that's exactly what Jade proceeded to do. She grabbed the blender that had been stashed away to the corner beside her beloved coffee machine and plugged it in.

Jade started to get the few ingredients out of the fridge for her smoothie: ice, milk, and mangos. Anxious to get the nausea to settle, she poured the ice and milk into the blender right away. As she started to cut the mangos, she noticed something was wrong. The sweet aroma of the mangos usually made Jade melt but today, it made her feel worse. Confused, she picked up a piece of the mangos and inspected it for any sign of it being rotten. After finding nothing, Jade sniffed the fruit one last time and all of a sudden her stomach started to turn. Before she could wonder what was making her sick, she took off running for the bathroom.

After emptying the contents of her stomach into the toilet, Jade sat on the bathroom floor, wondering why mangos of all things would make her sick. Her favorite tropical fruit had never given her trouble until today.

Pushing the thoughts to the back of her mind, she got back up off the bathroom floor. She still felt a bit nauseous and thought it would be best to go lie down on the bed. Once she was curled up under the blanket, she remembered the mango smoothie mess on the counter. The thought crossed her mind that she should clean it up, but then Jade reassured herself that Beck would get it later. If she wasn't feeling well, she shouldn't overdo it.

When her stomach didn't settle after an hour, Jade thought it would be best to take some medicine. She slowly stood up, being careful as sudden movement could sending her currently tumultuous stomach into overdrive, and made her way back to the bathroom. Being annoyed from sickness, Jade roughly moved bottles in the medicine cabinet trying to find something to help her. In the end, there wasn't anything. Of course the day Jade was sick, there would be no medicine. Angrily, she stomped back to her room and called Beck.

"Beck," she whined. "I can't find the stupid medicine."

"What _stupid_ medicine?" he asked, imitating her tone almost perfectly.

"The stupid medicine that's supposed to make me feel better!"

"What's wrong?"

"My stomach hurts and I'm nauseous. Now where'd you put it?"

"Didn't you put it back on the top shelf of the medicine cabinet?"

"If I put it there, do you think I'd be calling you right now?"

"Jade, go to the pharmacy and get some more. It's not that big of a deal. I'll be home later to take care of you if you're still not feeling well."

"Come home now!"

"I'll buy you a new pair of scissors if you let me stay at work," he bribed. That, and he couldn't exactly take off from set right now.

It would be a lie to say that Jade wasn't tempted for a moment. Jade still adored scissors and everything about them.

"They better be black," she muttered. How dare Beck use her love of scissors against her! She was going to make sure he paid for that, as well as taking the last bit of coffee, later.

"Feel better. I'll see you soon," he said. "I love you."

Sighing, Jade got off her bed and slipped on a pair of flats. Putting her combat boots back on would take too long and Jade just wanted to feel better.

Once in the car, Jade was worried that the movement of driving would make her feel worse. She hesitated for a moment but then started off to the drugstore. Surprisingly, the car didn't seem to upset her stomach much more but it didn't exactly settle it either. Jade parked quickly and headed inside, desperate to feel better.

She picked up a basket from the front end and made her way back to the pharmacy department. Wrinkling her nose, Jade remembered why she didn't like the pharmacy department: it smelt too much like a hospital. Putting her dislike aside, she began scanning the isles for something to calm her strange nausea. Finally, Jade was able to find some nausea pills that would do the trick.

Finding what she had set out to get, Jade started heading back to the front of the store. As she walked up the aisle something caught her eye. On the shelf, she saw pregnancy test. It was farfetched to say the least, but it could be entirely possible. On a whim, she tossed it in her basket and proceeded to the checkout, but not before grabbing a small bag of dark chocolate that she suddenly started to crave. It made absolutely no sense: she felt sick but she wanted chocolate. Maybe that pregnancy test was a good thing to be buying. She just hoped she was wrong.

At the checkout Jade was greeted by an older woman who was working.

"Hello, dear," she smiled at Jade.

"Hey," Jade replied trying not to be too rude to the poor woman. As long as the woman didn't give her a reason to bite back, she would hold her tongue…for now.

As she scanned all items, Jade noticed the woman hesitated a little on the pregnancy test. Brushing it off, Jade paid for everything without another word. When she was about to leave the checkout the older woman took Jade's hand.

"Good luck dear," she smiled giving Jade a small wink.

Jade stared at the woman with a very confused expression but slowly nodded and walked off. While walking back to the car, Jade's confusion turned to frustration. Was that old woman mocking her? How dare she do that! Nobody mocks Jade Oliver and gets away with it.

After calming down on the drive home, Jade walked back up to the house and into the kitchen. Taking the pills out of the package, she grabbed some water and swallowed them easily.

She was about to go do some work or watch a movie but somehow, she couldn't get herself to concentrate. Jade's eyes kept wandering back to the bag on the table that contained the pregnancy test. Convincing herself she was being stupid, Jade got up and went to the table. She took out the box and stared at it for a good few minutes, contemplating waiting a little while longer. After deciding that now was as good a time as any she took the box and walked into the bathroom.

She sat up on the counter as she opened the box and pulled out the two tests and the instructions, which basically said: pee on the stick and wait two minutes. Jade rolled her eyes. With how far the world had come with technology over the last fifty years, one would think they would be able to make things slightly more…hygienic. Realizing that she didn't have exactly much of a choice since she wanted the results, Jade took the test and placed the stick in the sink.

This was going to be the longest two minutes of her life. Jade never thought she would spend it pacing the bathroom, but that's all she could do to keep herself occupied as the time slowly passed by. She didn't want to be pregnant. Yes, she wanted a family, but she wasn't ready yet.

With her constant pacing, Jade hadn't even realized that three minutes had passed. Upon realizing, she looked into the sink and picked up the pregnancy test: _pregnant_. Jade shook her head. This had to be a false-positive. It had to be. She fumbled around until she pulled out the other pregnancy test and took it. If this one was negative, it would put her up at ease, if only for a little while until she and Beck could sort everything out.

"Jade!"

Jade rolled her eyes. Beck couldn't come home two minutes later, when she wasn't peeing on the stick?! She knew that if she didn't respond, Beck would start to worry and then he might burst into the bathroom, which was the last thing she needed right now. As she placed the test in the sink, she called out to Beck to put his worry at ease.

She could faintly hear Beck trotting up the stairs as the sound of her own heartbeat was beating rapidly and excruciatingly loudly in her ears as she waited for the second set of results.

"There you are. How are you feeling?" Beck asked.

Jade could only shake her head in response. This couldn't be right. It just couldn't. But there it was, right in front of her, in black and white.

"Jade?"

Jade didn't look up as she held the pregnancy tests in her hand. Not just one, two, just to be safe. Both positive. And the likelihood of both of them being false-positives didn't seem like a possibility at all.

"I'm pregnant," she whispered.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Victorious. Dan Schneider does.

* * *

_It's shorter, but set in a different tone. We hope you like it._

* * *

**Chapter 3**

* * *

"You're pregnant?" Beck asked.

Usually, Jade would have thrown a sarcastic remark back at him but right now, shock filled her. She was pregnant. She was going to have a baby. She couldn't stop staring at the pregnancy test, or tests since there was more than one.

"We're gonna have a baby," Beck whispered as the news sunk in. Then, the excitement began to take over. "We're going to be parents!"

Beck wrapped his arms around Jade's waist and kissed her cheek. He was going to have a baby. They were going to have a baby. He was going to be a dad. He couldn't believe it. He had wanted to be a dad for the longest time and here was his opportunity.

"There's a little us growing inside you. You have no idea how excited I am! Jade!"

"Beck," Jade said softly as she shook her head, "I'm not ready to have a baby yet. I'm not ready to be a mother."

Upon hearing this, Beck's excitement quivered down as quickly as it had built up just moments before. They had talked about having kids before but now that it was a reality, Jade seemed petrified. Having kids…that was a big step and Jade wasn't sure if she was ready. In her mind, she _wasn't_ ready. Beck might have been but he wasn't the one who was going to have to carry this baby around for nine months. She was.

Beck led her out of the bathroom and sat her down next to him on the bed. She didn't dare look at him at first, or even move for that matter. She didn't know what to say exactly and she felt bad for disappointing Beck, who had been beyond ecstatic from the news. Beck waited, hoping she would start explaining on her own. Soon, he realized because she's Jade and she's stubborn, he would need to push her a tiny bit if he wanted to get any kind of answer out of her.

"Talk to me," Beck pleaded.

But Jade didn't say anything. What was she supposed to say anyway? This was the best news Beck could have been given and she was ruining it.

"Jade?" Beck tried again. At this point, he just wanted to get some sort of reaction from his wife. The silence was beginning to worry him. It wasn't like Jade to be silent.

"I can't do this Beck!" Jade suddenly said, caught up in her emotions. "This is all you fault by the way. Gary's too."

"How is this Gary's fault?" Beck asked. He understood why this was his fault but his co-worker's fault?

"If Gary didn't get hurt, you wouldn't have spoiled me and gotten me pregnant!"

"Let's think about this rationally: the only viable way for me to not get you pregnant is if we never have sex, and you and I both know that we enjoy our active sex life."

"Don't turn this around on me!"

"I'm not!"

"Yes you are!"

"That's enough, Jade!" Beck said, raising his voice slightly in order to take control of the situation. "Why can't you do this?"

Jade was taken aback at this. It was a rare occasion with Beck had to raise his voice at her. She sat down on the window seat that overlooked the street. Outside, she could see kids playing.

"I'm not ready to be a mom, okay?" she sighed. Tears began steamed down her face and she didn't do anything to wipe them away. "I can't be a mom."

"So…you don't ever want to have kids? Is that what you're saying?" Beck asked sadly. He sat down next to his wife but still kept a little distance. "Jade, you really should have told me this earlier."

"No," Jade interrupted. "I want us to have kids. I don't hate kids; I…I just don't think I can be a good mother. I won't be a good mother. I know you'll be a great dad but me...no."

"Why would you say that?" Beck asked, rubbing her back, "You're great. Fantastic. When I'm sick, you take care of me."

Jade glared at him. "You're an adult. We're talking about a child. We're talking about a baby, here!"

"I act like a three year old when I'm sick!" Beck argued.

"I don't know how to be a good parent! I've never had any example to follow by," Jade explained while starting to sob a bit. "I'm going to end up like them."

Beck felt his heart break looking at Jade so upset. He knew exactly who Jade was referring to: her parents. Jade's parents were horrible to her: they neglected her and mistreated her. Her upbringing was something she never wanted a child to go through and it had affected her throughout her life. But she never acted like them. To Beck, Jade could never be anything like her parents.

"Jade," Beck sighed, taking Jade's hand. "You are nothing like your parents and you never will be."

"You don't know that!" she exclaimed. "I don't even know how to handle kids! Beck, add my parents, my attitude, my past, and my knowledge of children and it spells disaster for this situation we're in."

As soon as Jade mentioned how she handles children, he got an idea. A perfect one.

"When you calm down and you're ready, I want you to meet me in your office. There's something I want to show you," he said.

Jade watched Beck leave the room and walk down the hall. She took a few minutes to try to pull herself together. After wiping her tears away and taking some deep breaths, she finally ventured down the hall to her office. She pushed the door open and saw Beck sitting in front of her computer.

"Hey, come here," Beck smiled and opened his arms for Jade to sit with him. Slowly, she accepted his invitation and sat down in his lap.

"What's going on?" Jade asked.

"Do you remember these?" Beck asked, turning Jade's attention to the computer.

Beck clicked play on the computer and one of the Jade's "Jade with Tots" videos began to play. She watched the clip as Beck reassuringly rubbed her shoulder.

"You're great with kids," he said when it was over.

"That was a long time ago," Jade stated, brushing off the compliment. Besides, that video didn't have anything to do with how to parent a kid. That was what really scared Jade to the core. It wasn't the baby itself; it was the parenting aspect.

"Jade, you need to face that fact that deep down you have a motherly instinct," Beck explained. "Look at the way you are with these kids or even Cat. You practically took care of her during high school."

This thought made Jade laugh; it was true: Cat was like a child and sometimes Jade did feel like her mother.

"Thanks," she said, even though the tears started to form in her eyes again. "I'm just scared, Beck."

"You shouldn't be," Beck comforted.

It took a lot for Jade to admit that she was scared and Beck felt genuinely bad that she was scared of this situation. Getting pregnant and having a baby should have been a joyous occasion but it didn't feel like that at all.

"It'll all be ok," he said, kissing her forehead.

"So you really think I can be a good mom?" she asked. Her voice lacked the usual confidence she exuded, which immediately alerted Beck. This wasn't the Jade he had married, who he had fallen in love with. This Jade…it rocked Beck to the core with how uncertain she was with everything.

Beck drew her close and wiped the tears away from her face. He didn't understand how Jade didn't think she would be a good mom. Jade was great with kids. She really was.

"You're going to be a fantastic mother because you're already the most amazing wife in the world. Besides, we've got nine months to prepare for all this. We'll figure it out. Let's take it day by day, alright?"

"There's so much we want to do with our lives still. I mean, I want a family, but is right now the right time? Having a baby is a big deal," Jade argued. "It's huge!"

"Jade, what happened has happened. You're pregnant. Okay, we're having a baby a little sooner than expected but it's going to be fine. We're financially stable. My agent's one of the most flexible people in the world and she makes sure that if something's wrong, I can get the time off I need to take care of it. We've got a great support system…and we have each other."

"You do realize that before I have this kid, you have to go through nine months of me being completely unbearable and who knows what else!"

Beck wrapped his arms around Jade and rested his head on her shoulder.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Victorious. Dan Schneider does.

* * *

Author's Note: Updates are going to be sporadic while my co-writer (bella1985) is recovering. I'm deeply worried about her and her health is more important than this writing.

But I'm going to try to get stuff done for the time being since she said it was okay.

Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

* * *

"Jade, hurry up we're going to be late!" Beck yelled from the front door.

He looked down at his watch; they had to be at the restaurant by six to meet everyone. It was a tradition that once a month, Tori, Cat, André, Robbie, Jade, and Beck would go out for a big dinner. It wasn't high school anymore and they didn't see each other but they liked to keep in touch. Their friendship had only grown stronger since graduation.

"Will you calm down?" Jade groaned. She continued to adjust her black belted top to make it appear as if she wasn't pregnant. She didn't want to interrogated at dinner about her pregnancy. "We have plenty of time."

"Sorry babe," Beck sighed. "You look amazing."

"I know."

"Ready?"

Jade grabbed her purse and headed out to the car as Beck locked up the house.

"I'm excited to tell everyone the news, aren't you?"

"Sure," Jade said as they got in the car.

Once Beck started driving, he noticed Jade putting her hands on her stomach.

"Crazy," she whispered.

* * *

"You okay?" Beck asked cautiously.

"What? Oh, yeah," Jade said, snapping out of her trance. "I still find it crazy to think that there's something in there."

"There is," he smiled, taking Jade's hand and kissing it since they were at a red stop light. "A perfect combination of us is growing inside you."

"You're so corny," Jade laughed.

"I thought I was cheesy."

"You are. But I love you."

"I love you too," he answered back as they pulled up to the restaurant. "Here we are."

They both had to admit they were excited for this dinner. It had been too long since they had seen the rest of the gang; everyone had been so busy. But Jade was a little apprehensive. The last time the gang got together, Jade was barely pregnant at all. Now, someone might notice and she wasn't sure if she was ready to deal with everyone knowing, even if it was their close friends.

Once inside they saw everyone sitting in the front waiting area, chatting away. Cat was the first to notice the arrival.

"Omigod yay! Beck and Jade are here!" Cat yelled and ran up to hug them.

"Hi Cat," Jade said with a small smile, allowing her little redheaded friend to hug her.

Cat wasn't likely to notice anything, right?

Even after all these years, Cat had not changed a bit since high school. She matured a little bit but still had her childlike wonder. Cat was able to combine her two greatest loves, acting and singing, so after high school, she went into theater. Although most people's goal is to break into television or movies, Cat was happy where she was. She still had hopes to be on screen, but she was content with where her career was.

"Let's eat," André said, walking over to the hostess on duty. "Hi Kali. Everyone's here."

She smiled. Kali and her husband owned the restaurant and she always seated the gang when they had their dinner.

"Right this way," she said, grabbing the menus. "As always, we have your private table ready for you."

"Thanks Kali," Tori smiled. "You're the best."

Since the beginning of their tradition, the group always had the same table in a small private room, just off the main dining room. With the talent that was within this group of friends, it was nice to be away from everyone else and just enjoy each other's company.

They all took their seats and looked over the menus quickly. Because they came here so often, the group had then tendency to choose quickly. Jade looked over the menu with a frown; she didn't exactly feel very hungry.

"What are you getting babe?" Beck asked.

"I think I'm just going to get a salad with some chicken," she finally decided.

"No chicken marsala?" Beck asked. It was one of Jade's favorites and she always liked to get it at this place. There wasn't a single restaurant whose chicken marsala matched the one she got here.

Jade leaned over and whispered to Beck, "I'm not feeling too well."

"Are you going to be ok?" he panicked. She wasn't supposed to be having morning sickness this early and it wasn't even morning. Wasn't that how morning sickness worked? Get sick in the morning and the rest of the day would be fine?

"Yeah," she smiled. "I just don't feel like eating much."

"Okay," Beck replied quietly as he kissed her forehead. "I'll tell the waiter to pack up some of those garlic mashed potatoes you love so much, in case you get hungry later."

"Thanks."

"Are we ready to order?" the waiter asked as he entered the room. Everyone nodded and he began to write down the orders.

"I'll have the salmon," Tori stated.

"Very good Ms. Vega," the waiter nodded. He had been their waiter for the past year and had recently been promoted to head waiter, earning him the right to cater to the elite when they were here. "And for you, Mr. Harris?"

As everyone else placed their orders, Cat look around at everyone seated at the table. She absolutely loved having all her friends around her. When her eyes landed on Jade, who was sitting across from her, Cat couldn't help but realize how differently she had been acting. Although she was wearing a loose shirt, Cat could tell she gained weight. Even more so, Jade loved the food at this restaurant yet all she ordered was a salad. Jade rarely ordered salads.

"And for you Ms. Valentine?" the waiter asked, snapping Cat out of her thoughts.

"Cat, I swear, if you order the chicken nuggets again," Jade began.

"I'll have the Chilean sea bass," Cat ordered. "It plays music right?"

Jade had serious thoughts about face palming herself. Cat was twenty-five years old but she still acted like she was five. The waiter just ignored Cat's comments and continued to take the rest of the party's orders.

"Alright, that will be out soon," the waiter assured them as he left.

There was an awkward silence when the waiter left. Tori crossed her arms across her chest and smiled.

"Well?" she asked.

"Well what?" Jade retorted, mimicking the action.

"What have you and Beck been up to lately?" she questioned back. A smirk came across her face and Jade knew she was about to be busted.

"Well, Jade's pregnant," Beck practically blurted out.

Jade smacked him. "Can you keep anything quiet? Seriously!"

"You're pregnant?" Cat asked. "I just thought you were getting fat."

Jade glared at Cat.

"Did I say something wrong?" she asked.

"Girl, you better run before Jade gets up," André asked.

"So…how far along are you?" Tori asked, changing the subject before Jade launched herself across the table and onto Cat.

"A month and a half," Jade replied.

Secret's out.

"Wasn't that when your coworker got hurt-" Robbie began.

"Yeah," Beck started before Jade cut him.

"No! We are not discussing our personal life with our friends, let alone with someone at the table who still believes that Santa exists," Jade interjected.

"Santa doesn't exist? What?!" Cat shrieked.

Robbie quickly wrapped his arms around Cat. "Santa exists. Jade's just being a meanie."

Cat looked at Jade. "Yeah…meanie."

Jade didn't take well to the insult, not to Beck's surprise at all. Beck had to hold her arm back to prevent her from getting up.

"Anyways!" Beck stated loudly, trying to redirect the focus from an angry Jade and upset Cat. "I'm glad we could all get together again."

"Of course," Tori smiled. "It's tradition, we wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Gives us a chance to catch up," Cat giggled. She grabbed Jade's hand from across the table. "Especially when there is news like yours!"

Jade's hard grimace softened into a smile and she looked up at Beck. He was beaming as he leaned over to kiss her temple.

"We're all going to be aunts and uncles!" Cat yelled loud enough for the whole restaurant to hear.

"Cat we're not re-" Tori started to correct Cat but Jade cut her off.

"Oh let her be. You're all practically family anyway," Jade laughed. Cat was bouncing in her seat from the excitement.

"Since we're sharing news," Robbie stated, clearing his throat. "I have something to say."

Everyone looked over at each other, trying to figure out what this announcement could be. The first thought that came to Tori, Jade, Beck, and André was that Robbie was going to propose to Cat. The two had been dating for the past few years and it wasn't hard to tell that the two were heads over heels for each other.

"My agent called me the other day," he started. "And he booked me an audition for Saturday Night Live."

Everyone smiled and stated their congratulations. Although it was not the proposal they expected, it was still a great thing for Robbie. After high school, Robbie had a hard time finding exactly what he wanted to do. He had a few little acting jobs here and there but that was it. Then he started doing comedy and a bit of stand up and things took off for him. From then, comedy was known to be Robbie's "thing".

"That's great man," André said, patting Robbie's shoulder. "You'd be amazing on SNL. It's the perfect fit for you."

"When's your audition?" Tori asked.

"Five weeks from last Monday. I've got to work on some new material to audition with. They want something completely original at the audition," Robbie explained.

"I have to be in New York that week to promote. We can meet up after your audition."

"Sure."

"What movie are you promoting again?" Beck asked. Tori had been booking so many big screen projects, Beck couldn't even keep up anymore.

"_Blood Orange_. It was a blast and it really stretched me as an actress."

"Finally stepping outside your comfort zone, are you?" Jade dryly added.

Tori thought about sending a sarcastic remark back at Jade but with Jade being pregnant, Tori was not about to take the risk there. She knew the unspoken rule: never upset a pregnant woman. And after the incident with Cat calling Jade fat, Tori knew to stay quiet.

"And if you want, you can record a bit at the studio and I can have other producers look at it and give you feed back. I'll even try to have Mason give some input," André added.

"Why do you still work for him? After what he did to me and Jade, I would think-" Tori began.

"After I did my college internship, Mason made me an offer I couldn't refuse. And it's letting me get my foot in the door of the music industry," he defended.

"That would be great. Thanks."

"No prob."

"Can you get Mason to get me some bibble!?" Cat said suddenly, launching herself across the table and grabbing André's shirt.

Robbie grabbed Cat's shoulders and gently made her sit back down again. And André thought Jade was dangerous.

"Cat," Robbie soothed. "We talked about this."

"Yeah red. Chill out," Andre said, still surprised by Cat's outburst.

"I can't help it!" Cat sighed in defeat. "I'm sorry I grabbed your shirt."

"It's cool girl," André laughed.

"Dinner is served," the waiter announced. Two waiters followed him in, each carrying two dishes. "Enjoy."

* * *

Jade was exhausted by the time they got back to their house. This pregnancy was already wearing her down and she didn't know how she was going to make it through the next seven and a half months. She plopped down on the couch as Beck placed their leftovers from dinner in the refrigerator.

"I'm tired," she mumbled.

Beck sat down next to her and rubbed her thigh affectionately.

"I'm not in the mood," she said softly. Beck removed his hand. Jade rarely ever rejected his advances before but then again, Jade had never been pregnant before. This was new territory for both of them.

"Is this because of what happened at dinner?" Beck asked. He knew there were about a million others ways he could have told his friends about Jade's pregnancy, other than blurting it out.

"It's not about dinner. I'm just…I'm tired."

Without another word, Jade got up and headed upstairs to the master bedroom. Beck found Jade's attitude different and wasn't really sure what to make of it. He followed her upstairs. Maybe he would be able to get her to talk.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Jade continued to stare out the window. It was dark, adding an almost tranquil feeling for the young woman. Beck kept his distance. It was apparent enough to him that Jade was still conflicted but he still wanted to show his support.

"You know, maybe having a baby isn't a bad thing," Jade finally said. "I thought telling them would be the worst part of it."

"Babe, they're our friends. They're excited for us."

"But you didn't have to blurt it like you did. That was uncalled for."

Beck threw his hands up in surrender. "Sorry for being excited about having a baby and starting a family."

Jade grabbed one of the extra pillows from the window seat and stacked it with her two pillows on the bed.

"I'm just…I'm still adjusting to this idea. I know there's nothing we can do about it now but I'm still getting used to it."

Jade yanked one of Beck's old plaid button-up shirts out of the dresser and removed her shirt. Her breasts were hurting like crazy and she mentally debated on whether or not she would wear her bra to bed so her breasts wouldn't move as much, and therefore wouldn't hurt. Despite being a masochist, Jade was already uncomfortable enough being pregnant. She didn't want to add insult to injury right now.

"That's weird."

"What is?" Jade asked. She was pregnant. What was so weird about being pregnant?

Beck placed his hands on Jade's stomach and held them there.

"Beck?"

"You're awfully big."

"Are you saying that I'm fat?!" Jade quickly accused, brushing his hands away.

"No, but you're what: five weeks along? I don't think a baby is supposed to that big at five weeks."

"I'm six and a half weeks along, thank you."

"Still."

"Do you think there's something wrong with the baby?" Jade asked.

"I think we should get it checked out. You know, make sure the baby's okay. I'm sure the baby's fine but just to be safe, we should."

Jade held her hands to her stomach. What if something was wrong with the baby? Jade hadn't had it very long but she already loved the child inside her, even though she hadn't said it out loud. She didn't want anything bad to happen to the baby.

"I'll call my gynecologist tomorrow and let them know what's going on. Beck, do you think there might be…something-" Jade began, worry evident in her voice.

"I'm sure it's nothing. It's just our first kid-"

At Beck's statement, Jade flipped out.

"Are you saying you want more?!"

"One day…maybe. Let's just focus on the one we have right now."

Jade nodded her head in agreement, taking in deep breaths to keep herself calm. One of the things that she loved most about Beck was how he was able to keep her calm and remained rational in almost every situation they had been put in. And she knew, without a doubt in her mind, that Beck would be the one to keep her sanity in check during this pregnancy.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Victorious. Dan Schneider does.

Author's Note: Neither of us are parents and we did alot of research and we hope it came out right. Getting ready for a bombshell.

Also, there is a review that we are copying someone else's story. If this happens to be the case, please, someone, send me the link. Some stories start out similar but we are hoping to do something different with ours. It is not our intention to steal anyone's idea. And if you are the person who left that review, please get in touch with me so we can talk.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

* * *

Jade called the doctor's office first thing when she woke up the next morning. Although the pregnancy was still a new concept to her, she was afraid something had gone wrong. She wasn't sure how but she completely blamed this new maternal instinct that had somehow taken over.

"Beck, are you ready?" Jade asked as she anxiously tapped her foot waiting. She could swear that Beck spent more time getting ready than she did.

"Yes," he smiled, leading her out the door. It wasn't like they were running late for the appointment that was scheduled at eleven. It was only a few minutes after ten.

* * *

"Are you feeling okay?" Beck asked cautiously as he drove.

Rule one: never upset a pregnant woman.

"Yeah," she responded quietly. She continued to stare down at her growing belly. If Beck had noticed it, why hadn't she? It was her body. She should have known first.

"Everything's going to be fine," Beck soothed. He reached over to rub a small circle on her stomach while they waited for the red light. He could tell Jade was nervous; her actions this morning were more than enough justification.

"Something doesn't feel right."

"You're pregnant for the first time," he laughed. "Of course it doesn't feel right."

"No, it's…just forget it," Jade began, but Beck knew better.

Once he heard the wavering in her voice, he knew there was a problem. He swiftly pulled the car over to the side of the road and into an abandoned parking lot. Once stopped, he turned to look at his wife. She had her head turned away so he couldn't see her face. Beck immediately saw her defense mechanisms kicking in and sighed. Despite all he had done, Jade still tried to keep her emotions from him at times. Although she didn't want to show it, she was scared, but Beck could tell. He knew his wife better than anyone else.

"Babe?"

Jade took another moment to compose herself before she faced her husband.

"Are we going or not?" she asked coldly.

"Jade," Beck said, taking her hands in his. "You need to relax."

"I'm fine," Jade lied. She looked and saw that Beck was not buying her story, not in the least. She took a deep breath and continued quietly. "I just have this strange feeling."

"About what?"

"That I've done something wrong."

That and she couldn't get the day she bought the pregnancy test out of her head. She couldn't get past the strange look the clerk had given her.

"Jade, you've done nothing wrong," Beck said sternly. "Look, let's just go to this appointment and we'll figure out what's going on."

Jade nodded her head as she took another set of deep breaths for Beck. That man had more control than Jade would ever admit to.

Once she settled, Beck started the car and headed to the doctor's office. When they made it to the waiting area, Beck helped Jade to her seat (despite the rather intense glaring she gave him) and signed her in. The secretary smiled and handed Beck a few pieces of paperwork to fill out while they waited.

As they waited, Beck could feel the tension radiating off his wife while he finished the paperwork. Meanwhile, Jade tapped her nails on the arm of the chair in an impatient way. Finally, Beck took her hand in an attempt to calm her down and stop the annoying noise. This pregnancy had barely started and he wasn't sure who was going more insane yet. She gave him a small smile as Beck rubbed circles in her hand with his thumb.

Unfortunately for Beck, Jade's patience could only be tested so long and as they continued to wait, his efforts to calm her seemed to fail.

"Babe, if you squeeze my hand any harder, I'm not going to have one."

Jade couldn't help it. She was nervous, not that she would ever admit it, but Beck could tell. He could read every emotion his wife felt. After all, he had had ten years of practice.

To reassure her, Beck wrapped his arm around his wife and kissed her temple. It was a small gesture, but it was enough to keep Jade at bay. She sat silently and looked around the waiting room. There were only a few other people in the waiting room with them. There was an older couple in their early thirties; the woman looked very tired and very pregnant. Jade had a feeling this woman was having twins by the looks of her stomach. The other pregnant woman in the room looked younger than Jade, perhaps in her early twenties and she had a toddler next to her. There was another woman next to her; Jade guessed it was the pregnant woman's sister.

Jade couldn't help but feel like all the people were staring at her. She was used to this but she didn't enjoy it at this particular moment.

"Are they ever going to call us?" she whisper yelled into Beck's ear.

"Soon," Beck laughed. "They won't keep us waiting forever."

As if the doctor knew what he would be in for if he didn't call Jade soon, a nurse opened the door and stepped out.

"Jade Oliver?" the nurse asked.

"Finally," Jade said, getting up from her seat quickly.

"You were right, that is Jade Oliver," one of the women in the waiting room said.

"And Beck Oliver," the other one added.

Beck couldn't help but laugh slightly at the comments from the women. It was always crazy to think that complete strangers could know who they were.

The nurse placed them in a small room at the end of the hallway. She began by taking Jade's blood pressure and making sure her general health was normal. Fortunately for Beck and Jade, the doctor arrived soon after the nurse left.

"I hear you're pregnant. Congratulations!" her gynecologist, Dr. Thompson, said upon entering the room. Dr Thompson was a very nice man in his late forties. He had short dark brown hair that had spots of grey beginning to show through. Beck liked him because he was very smart and kind with his patients. Jade liked him because he didn't mind her unique personality and he told her how it was.

"Yeah. Hi," Jade replied, almost irritated. Dr. Thompson was not fazed by this in the least; he was used to pregnant women and their mood swings. He opened her health file and quickly saw what the reason for this visit was.

"So I see you're worried about your weight gain?"

"Yes," Beck replied. "It didn't seem natural that she would be this big at six weeks."

Jade glared at her husband.

"I didn't call you fat," he justified.

Jade rolled her eyes and crossed her arm against her chest. Dr. Thompson pulled out a measuring tape and measured around Jade's stomach.

"That is bigger than what you would typically be at six weeks."

"Almost seven," Jade interjected.

"So what's wrong?" Beck asked quickly.

"I'm not sure," the doctor replied as he wrote some notes down in the file. "This could be due to a lot of different things but you seem to be in good health so I wouldn't worry too much. I'll get an ultrasound technician in here so we can see what is going on with you and this baby."

"Great, thank you," Beck said as the doctor left the room. When the door shut, he turned to Jade and smiled. "See I told you everything would be alright."

"We don't know if there's something wrong yet," Jade argued. "But it does make me feel a little better that he doesn't think it's anything bad."

"Hello," a man in a lab coat said as he entered the room. "My name is Dr. Wilson and I am the ultrasound technician on duty today."

Jade noticed that Dr. Wilson was rather young for a doctor. He looked to be late twenties and he was very handsome. Although Jade knew Dr. Wilson could not possibly compare to Beck, she did enjoy the look Beck was giving him at the moment.

"Nice to meet you," Jade shook his hand and laughed internally as Beck nodded in agreement.

Beck tried to stay calm on the outside but it was failing. He did not like the way Dr. Wilson was looking at his wife. Beck was used to people looking at Jade because she was in the public eye but it still bothered him sometimes.

"Let's take a look at your baby, shall we?" he smiled. "Alright Jade, I'm going to get you to pull your shirt up and lay on this table right here."

Beck helped Jade lay down and get adjusted on the table. He sat down next to her and smiled when Jade grabbed his hand, holding on for dear life.

"This is going to feel a bit cold," Dr. Wilson stated.

He proceeded to squirt some green gel onto Jade's stomach causing her to gasp from the cold feeling. He set up the monitor and proceeded to move the wand across Jades stomach.

As he wondered around Jade's stomach, his face became increasingly confused. Much to Beck and Jade's dismay, he had the monitor turned towards him so they couldn't see it.

"Um…excuse me I need to go get Dr. Thompson," Dr. Wilson said with a faint smile then exited the room. He tried to make it appear as if he wasn't in a hurry but Jade saw right through his ploy. Beck looked down at Jade who had the same expression as he imagined he had: pure panic.

"What the hell!" Jade said a bit too loudly. "He can't do that!"

"Jade," Beck warned while rubbing her shoulder. Yes, Dr. Wilson's abrupt departure was a little unnerving, but there was no reason to work themselves up over something they had no control over.

"He can't look all worried and run off without telling us what's wrong!" she continued to rant. "The baby is inside me! I deserve to know!"

"I helped too," Beck added unconsciously, earning him a glare from his wife.

Before either of them could say another word, the doctors had returned.

"Alright let's see here," Dr. Thompson said as the Dr. Wilson turned the machine on again, showing him what was wrong. He stared at the monitor for a few minutes, confused, then surprised.

"Will someone please tell me what's going on?!" Jade demanded.

"Sorry Jade but this is just a bit surprising," Dr. Thompson said as he wrote down notes wildly in her file.

"You see Mr. and Mrs. Oliver…" Dr. Wilson trailed off. This was not easy news to break. Typically, it was celebrated, but this…

"What?!" Jade exclaimed furiously.

"You're not having one baby," the technician said as he turned the monitor to face Beck and Jade. "It looks like you're having five. You're having quintuplets."

Both Beck and Jade suddenly felt like they had been hit by a bus. They stared at the monitor trying to make sense of the situation. The technician cleaned the gel off Jade's stomach as they both sat in shock. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Jade spoke up.

"He's kidding, right?"

Beck shook his head as he looked at the screen. He counted silently to himself as the Dr. Thompson showed him all five embryos. Dr. Wilson even had a picture of the ultrasound printing so they couple could have it.

"No, Jade, he's not. We're about to have five kids."

Jade looked at the monitor and the technician showed her each of the fetuses.

"You're kidding, right?!"

"No Jade," Beck assured her as both doctors nodded in agreement.

"Oh….my…god!" Jade said staring at Beck. "What...how…I…I don't understand!"

Beck did not even know how to respond; he just kept looking back and forth between Jade and the ultrasound on the monitor. He was in complete shock, he had no idea how they going to be able to handle five babies all at once. Obviously, Beck's first concern was Jade; he wasn't even sure if she was capable of carrying and delivering quintuplets. But he was never going to say that out loud.

The news was so huge for the couple it left far too many unanswered questions for their liking.

Jade had absolutely no idea what to think about the situation. She was terrified and unable to process that five kids were inside of her. She suddenly felt her stomach start to turn in an all too familiar way. Between the news and morning sickness, it was all too much for Jade's body to handle at the moment.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Jade said as her body tensed up.

Within seconds, Dr. Thompson was next to her, holding a bedpan. As Jade coughed violently into the pan, Beck rubbed her back gently.

"Thanks," Jade muttered once she felt better.

"I understand this must come as a shock," Dr Thompson explained. "I know it is for us as well, but there are many options for you to consider. I'd also like to refer you to an obstetrician who specializes in multiple births. She'll be able to explain everything a lot better."

"A what?" Beck asked.

"An obstetrician. They specialize in pregnancy and birth."

"Who is it?" Jade asked. "What does she do exactly?"

Dr. Thompson was writing some things down when he answered Jade.

"Her name is Althea Durant. Being pregnant, you need to have an obstetrician but since your carrying multiple fetuses, I want to make sure this pregnancy goes safely for you and your children. She's probably the best obstetrician in the area."

Multiple.

Jade couldn't get off that word. She wasn't having one baby; she was having five.

_Five kids_.

"Are you okay?" Beck asked.

"No! I finally got okay with the idea of having a kid! One kid! Now we're about to have five?! FIVE?! We don't know the first thing about being parents!"

"I'll see if she can get you in today," Dr. Thompson said. "Why don't you take a few minutes and gather yourselves and I'll be back shortly."

When Dr. Thompson left, Jade stared at her stomach. How was this possible?

"You know, people are usually excited when they find out they're having twins or triplets but you look terrified," Beck pointed out.

Jade adjusted her shirt as she gazed into Beck's eyes. He was right: they should have been excited.

"How are we supposed to handle five? I was barely okay with one."

"Dr. Durant has an opening today at two. She and I will keep correspondence and we'll get you through this," her gynecologist replied upon entering. He could tell the couple was still in shock from the news, not that he could blame them. "Do you have any questions?"

"Can I keep the ultrasound picture?" Beck asked.

"Absolutely."

"And don't mention anything to the press about this. We need to figure out what we're doing first."

"I won't say a word. You two have a good day. I look forward to seeing five healthy babies."

Jade grabbed her purse and was out the door before Beck could turn his head. He tried to keep up with her pace but when Jade was upset, there wasn't much that could stop her and she didn't want to draw any unnecessary attention to himself.

He eventually found her in the car, tear tracks running down her face. It was like when she found out she was pregnant all over again.

"Look, let's just go see Dr. Durant and what she has to say," Beck said. "We can even go out to lunch."

"I'm not hungry," she whispered.

Just to prove Jade wrong, Beck heard her stomach growl.

"I want coffee," she muttered.

"You can't have coffee. You're pregnant."

"Do you think we can handle this?" she asked.

"I know we can."

* * *

"We're here for an appointment with Dr. Durant," Beck said.

"Of course. She's been expecting you. Follow me," the receptionist replied sweetly.

Beck grabbed Jade's hand and held it tightly. He was nervous about this meeting and the prospect of having five children, but he needed to be strong for Jade. Right now, Jade needed his support.

"Don't worry, she's really nice. You'll like her."

The receptionist led them to a corner office and showed them inside before making her way back up front. A woman in her late thirties, with blond hair styled into a bob, was sitting at the desk, typing away on her computer. She immediately noticed the couple's presence.

"I'm Althea Durant, the multiple birth specialist here. You must be Jade and Beck Oliver. Can you get you anything before we start? A bottle of water perhaps? I have orange juice."

Jade eyed her suspiciously. "You have orange juice?"

Seriously, what kind of doctor had orange juice in her office?

Dr. Durant smiled and opened her mini fridge to get a small bottle of Sunny Delight for Jade.

"I've been around enough pregnant women in my career so I try to keep a myriad of things in my office. Mr. Oliver, anything for you?"

"Can I take you up on the bottle of water? I might need it."

Althea handed Beck his bottle of water and sat down at her desk. It was time to get down to business.

"So, first time parents and you got dealt quite a card," she began. "Five. That's incredible."

"Have you ever dealt with a situation like ours?" Beck asked.

"No, but I have dealt with quite a few cases of triplets and a set of quadruplets. I'm positive I can handle a set of quints as well."

"How does this even happen? I'm not on fertility drugs. We haven't tried for a baby before and we just happened to get five! And…" Jade began but she was hyperventilating. This was still too much too handle.

"Okay, first, I need you to breathe. Stressing out isn't good for you or the babies," Althea instructed.

Jade took another sip of her orange juice and took a deep breath. Althea was right: stress wasn't good for her pregnancy.

"I'm alright," Jade said. "I think."

"Are you alright for us to continue or do you want me to wait another minute?"

"She's about as good as you're going to get her," Beck said. "It's a lot to deal with."

"I understand. Now, the odds are conceiving more than one child without the assistance of fertility drugs is astronomical to say the least, and carrying more than one child certainly has its risks," Althea began.

"Are you saying it's not safe for Jade to be carrying five fetuses?" Beck asked.

"It's been done before by women of Jade's size, but that doesn't mean it's not dangerous. I have to put this on the table so you're aware but there is a thing called selective reduction where we can terminate some of the fetuses."

"I'm keeping all of them and it's not up for discussion," Jade growled. How was she supposed to explain to her kids later on that they might have had another brother or sister but she choose not to? Jade didn't know how this pregnancy was going to work with five fetuses growing inside her but she wasn't giving any of her children up.

They were _hers_.

They were _Beck's_.

Althea nodded her head, smiling.

"Then it's my responsibility to make sure this pregnancy goes smoothly."

Althea grabbed a very filled file folder from her drawer and handed it to Beck.

"A little bedlight reading?" Beck joked.

Althea smiled. "Something like that. There isn't exactly a manual when it comes to having more than one child, let alone the situation we're in but I'm going to prepare you however I can."

"The shock goes away, right?" Jade asked. "It doesn't seem like it does."

"You found out this morning you were having quintuplets. It's going to take some time to adjust to that."

"I finally got her okay with one kid," Beck said. "Five is…"

"It's a lot. Are you nervous about being a mother?" Althea asked.

Jade nodded her head as she took another sip of her orange juice.

"You're not the first and you won't be the last. But I can tell you this: once you hold your baby, or babies in your case, and they look up at you, you'll know what to do."

Althea's soft spoken words spoke volumes to Jade. If this woman who she had just met today believed that Jade could be a successful mother, then maybe she shouldn't be so hard on herself. She could do this. And she had Beck, who Jade knew was going to be the best father in the world. They would be the greatest parents any kid could ask for.

"You'll be with us every step of the way?" Jade inquired.

"Every single step," Althea promised. "I'll want to see you every week so I can monitor your progress and health. We'll take whatever precautions we need to as you grow bigger so we can ensure your health."

"I'm going to get so fat," Jade mumbled.

Beck quickly took her hand and squeezed it. He was going to love Jade, regardless of how she looked. He could never stop loving her.

"That's another thing. I don't want to hear you say you're fat. I don't want Beck to hear it. I don't even want you to even say it. Jade, you're pregnant and you're going to gain weight. Your babies have to grow and for them to grow bigger and stronger and healthier, you're going to grow with them. Listen to me, you're in great shape. From what I've been able to pull from your previous medical files, you have a healthy lifestyle. Now, that being said, I do need to put you on a diet that will cause you to gain weight but it's vital that we get your children to twenty six weeks. I'd like to go to thirty weeks or even further."

"Why twenty-sixweeks? Is there something special about that number?" Beck asked.

"If Jade delivers before twenty-six weeks, it's unlikely that your children will be able to survive on their own. The longer you can hold out, the better it is for them."

Jade started to lose it, yet again, but the idea of her children not surviving, why would Dr. Durant even mention that?

"Deep breath," Beck instructed. "We'll get there. It's like a show: you get through it one day at a time. You have to go through rehearsal and tech week before opening night. Just this run will last forever."

"So who's more nervous?" Althea asked.

"Me," Jade replied.

"Her," Beck said at the same time.

"It's going to be fine," she stated. She pulled the file folder back toward her and wrote a phone number on it.

"Your office number?" Beck asked.

"If you guys need anything, don't hesitate to call me. I've given you my personal cell phone if you have any questions. I don't care if it's three in the morning and you wake up because something feels off. If you're not sure, call me."

Jade turned to Beck.

"Are you ready for this?" she asked.

"Are you?"

Jade looked at Althea, then her stomach, and then finally at Beck. She smiled.

"I think so."

Five kids…

Things were about to real.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Victorious. Dan Schneider does.

* * *

Author's Note: I have great news about bella1985: she is coming home from the hospital and I'm super excited to have to her back.

Also, I got comments last chapter that I was copying someone else's story and I was not aware of it at the time. I got in contact with the author and we worked things out. If an issue does arise, we will work it out between us.

I am completely open to constructive criticism but I am not open to hate.

bella1985 and I had a long conversation about how to differentiate this story and we did get it, but it doesn't really come out for a few chapters.

* * *

Chapter 6

* * *

The next few days were a whirlwind for the couple. Beck had been spending longer hours on set. The studio was trying to make up for the lost time from Gary's injury. Meanwhile, Jade was getting used to the idea of having _children_.

She still didn't know how to tell her friends that she and Beck were having more than one baby. Right now, Jade didn't want the paparazzi to catch on. This pregnancy was already difficult enough and she didn't need to add stress to the mix. Besides, stress wasn't going to be good for the babies.

And while Jade was supposed to spending this time off from acting and auditioning to write a television show, Jade found herself sitting in silence while rubbing her stomach, wondering how things were going to be now. She knew it was only a matter of time before things changed.

Beck did too. His coworkers had noticed that there was something slightly off from the usually calm and chilled actor, but they noticed that when he wasn't on camera or rehearsing, he looked like something was bothering him. In reality, it was just Beck worrying about the future. There was a lot to deal with and he still hadn't brought one of the key issues to the plate.

So almost two weeks after finding out they were having quintuplets, Beck decided it was time to bring the issue up.

"I just realized something," Beck began. "We need a bigger house."

Okay, it wasn't "just realized" but Beck knew that house hunting was going to be challenging but it was something they needed to do. And they needed to get it done before Jade got too big.

"Now is not the time to be a smart ass, Oliver. I'm not in the mood," she retorted, throwing one of the decorative pillows at him. He easily dodged it but knew he would have to tread this topic carefully.

"No, think about it. We live in a two bedroom townhouse and we cannot fit five cribs into your office. And I know how much you love your office. It's your refuge. We need a bigger house."

To Beck's comment, Jade got up from the couch, needing distance from her husband.

"You know I'm right," Beck said. He hated playing that card but he knew that even with one baby, they were going to need a bigger house. There was no way Jade was going to give up her office.

"I know," she whispered. "There's just a lot to think about. And I want to enjoy the last few moments before I get…bigger."

Jade was going to say fat because that's honestly what she felt like. But Althea wouldn't stand for it and she knew it.

"Are you worried about the press finding out?" Beck tried. That thought had been in the back of Beck's mind too. The paparazzi would eat up Jade's pregnancy and he knew it. And he was sure that Jade knew it too.

Jade nodded her head. "I don't want them hounding me every time I go see Althea or go to the store. I want to keep it as quiet as possible as long as I can. I know it won't be forever and I know we say that normal's boring but I'd like to appear normal for as long as I can."

"You know the paparazzi are one of those perks that come with the job, right?"

"Don't remind me."

She grabbed one of the throws on the armchair and wrapped it around herself before sitting back down next to Beck.

"I know you want to keep your pregnancy as quiet as we can but I would really like to tell my parents they're going to be grandparents," Beck said.

"Do we have to tell mine?" Jade mumbled.

"Do you want to?"

"I don't know."

"Are you okay with mine knowing?"

"Your parents have been nothing but welcoming…even if I did have a dog attack your dad. And he still forgave me. Your parents are more of a family than mine ever were."

"So that's a yes, we can tell my parents we're having a baby – babies?" Beck asked.

Jade cuddled closer to Beck. "And I think it's only right that they be involved in our kids' lives," she whispered. "Are you off on Friday?"

"Um…I have an early shoot that morning but I'm off that night. I'll call them tomorrow to let them know. They haven't seen us in a while so I'm sure they'll be excited."

* * *

Just as Beck predicted, his parents were more than happy to have a get together at their house that Friday night. They had insisted on going out but Beck had been able to create a small white lie that the paparazzi had been hounding him and Jade lately (which he knew they were going to be doing in a matter of time), and they would rather just have a quiet dinner at the house. So of course, Cora Oliver was happy to accommodate.

Jade smiled as Beck pulled up to his childhood home. "They're going to be so excited."

"My mom said she couldn't wait to be a grandmother. She didn't want it while I was in high school though."

"We're not in high school. Perfect timing, wouldn't you say?"

Beck smiled back and softly kissed his wife. He would be lying if he said he wasn't the tiniest bit nervous about this, but he tried to remember that these were his parents. They loved him and they loved Jade and accepted her. Things were going to be fine.

They made their way to the front porch and rang the doorbell. Beck's hand found Jade's and he held it tightly. He and Jade had made an agreement about telling Beck's parents: Beck was not to blurt it out like he did with their friends.

A woman in her early fifties, with white skin and dark brown hair (with small streaks of gray), opened the door. Her hazel eyes were full of life and practically emanated her excitement when she saw her son and daughter in a law.

"Hi, mom. We made it," Beck joked.

"Your father is making ratatouille. How have you been?" she asked.

Cora Oliver was the younger of Beck's parents, by four years. She had met her husband, Henry Oliver, as a freshman in college. He was a senior in the culinary program at another college, but happened to be on her campus, setting up for an event. A dropped cake, a huge mess, and thirty-two years blissful years later, Cora still couldn't get enough of her husband.

"It's been good," he said. And crazy. Things had been crazy.

Jade could smell the mixture of vegetables, garlic, and basil coming from the kitchen. The smell was almost too much for her.

"I'll be right back," she whispered to Beck and excused herself to a bathroom. She had been in the Oliver house numerous times while planning her wedding. She knew the layout almost as well as she knew every line in _The Scissoring_.

"She's pregnant, isn't she?" Cora asked, giving Beck a coy smile once Jade left the room.

"I…it's…" Beck tried but he knew he'd been caught. There was no point in trying to cover it up.

"I can see it. She's glowing."

That, and the sound of Jade retching into the toilet felt very audible. Her morning sickness was getting worse. But at least she wasn't cursing at Beck for causing it.

"You can't say anything. We wanted to tell you at dinner so can we keep it a surprise for Dad?"

"Of course. Why don't you go check on Jade, make sure she's alright. We'll have dinner ready when you come out. We're having it outside. It's beautiful tonight."

Beck nodded his head and made his way down the hall to the bathroom. He knocked on the door, but received no response.

"Jade, are you alright?" he asked.

"In a minute!" she shouted back. Vomiting was never an enjoyable experience. Jade ran some cold water over her face, practically washing away most of the makeup she had put on. But right now, she didn't care.

Beck stood outside the bathroom and waited for his wife. While the action didn't seem like much, Jade knew that Beck was supporting her just by being there for her.

"I almost wish I was sick instead," she mumbled as she emerged from the bathroom.

"It'll go away. It's all part of being pregnant," Beck whispered, rubbing her arm. He felt genuinely bad that her body was putting her through this but he knew it would be worth it in the end.

Jade shook her head. "No. Instead of it coming out of me, it'll be coming on me."

It was Beck's turn to shake his head. "Come on. My dad made ratatouille. Last I checked, that is one of your favorites."

* * *

Jade picked at her dinner, despite the fact that her stomach kept growling at her. But ever since her morning sickness (which Jade rarely experienced in the morning), she had lost most of her appetite. That, and if she threw up from smelling it, what would happen if it went inside her?

"Not hungry?" Henry asked.

"Something like that," Jade replied.

Henry was quick to notice his son's and daughter-in-law's weird behavior. Cora just smiled. She knew what was to come. Beck looked at his wife but no one said anything.

"Me or you?" Beck finally asked.

Jade took a deep breath and looked at her in-laws. "I'm pregnant."

"You're about to become grandparents!" Beck practically shouted. He didn't break the news of the quintuplets. He wasn't sure how his parents were going to handle it. He was sure they'd be excited but there was a speck of doubt in the back of his mind. First, let them get used to the idea of one baby. Five had intimidated Beck and Jade. No need to rush this.

"How far along are you?" Cora asked.

"About two months," Jade replied. "You knew the second we walked in, didn't you?"

Cora smiled her head as she nodded, giving Jade a hug.

"But I'm still excited nonetheless."

"This is fantastic news!" Henry added. He lifted his wine glass, along with everyone else. "To Beck and Jade and our future grandchild!"

Beck and Jade looked nervously at each other but didn't say anything as they made the toast. It was obvious to both Beck and Jade that his parents had plenty of questions for the soon to be parents, but also knew not to press their luck with Jade. If Jade wanted to tell them something, she would tell them.

Surprisingly though, once they broke the news, Jade felt  
a little better. She didn't want to hide her pregnancy, especially not from the people she wanted to be involved in her children's lives, but she wasn't ready for the world to know. And Beck was quick to notice any subtle behavior that didn't seem normal for his wife.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I…feel off but it's fine," Jade said.

"Do we need to go home?"

"No, it's _okay_. You don't see your parents very often."

"But if you're not feeling good-" Beck tried to justified.

"I'm pregnant and Althea said I'd probably tire out faster than the average pregnant woman. Look, just give me a few minutes to see if this will pass and if it does, I'll be out there shortly. Don't give up time with your parents because you're worried about your wife."

"That's my job. I'm your husband."

"Yes, but I know my body better than you do. I'm fine. Go."

Even though Jade didn't have a great relationship with her parents, she didn't want to ruin the relationship Beck had with his parents. She was willing to share him, as long as he came home with her at night. Family was important to Beck, even more so now that he was really starting his own. After making sure Jade was comfortable, Beck made his way back outside. He found his parents leaning against the guard rail, the hands intertwined with each other.

"Grandparents…that's incredible. I can't believe it's already here," Henry said.

"I know," Cora replied, taking a sip of her wine from dinner.

"Are you ready to be grandparents?" Beck asked. He picked up his glass of wine from the table and joined his parents and they looked out into the distance from the patio.

"I think the better question is are you and Jade ready to be parents?" Henry asked.

"Jade does seem more distant than usual," Cora pointed out. "Is she not excited about having a baby?"

"Babies," Beck corrected. "It's…there's a lot to think about."

Beck pulled the folded up picture of the ultrasound from his wallet and handed it to his mom.

"Five?" Henry asked. "Is this possible?"

"It's possible but considering that we weren't on fertility treatments, Dr. Durant said it's astronomically rare. But yeah, Jade's pregnant with five fetuses and the doctor's aren't sure how. We weren't trying or anything. It just happened."

"How are you holding up? It was big news for us; I can't imagine what it must have done to you."

Beck took a deep breath. "We've been taking it day by day. I'm trying to convince Jade that we need a bigger house but I think she's trying to hold onto the last bit of normalcy she has left before things get crazy."

"You still live in that two bedroom townhouse, right?"

Beck nodded his head as he took another sip of his wine as he looked out into the backyard. He thought it would be relieving to tell his parents and take some of the weight of becoming a father off his shoulders, but it didn't. He still had the worries. He was still carrying the stress of how he was going to handle five kids. He wasn't even surprised that Jade wanted to be by herself right now.

"Let us buy you a house."

"Dad, I can't. No."

"Yes. It's the least we can do. I know Jade is insistent on doing everything herself but you have plenty to deal with. And you haven't even gotten to the hardest part."

"She'll never accept it. You know that."

"Don't say anything."

"You expect me to keep that big of a secret from Jade?"

"She can pick the house out. Your mom and I will pay for it. You're going to have your hands full once you have those babies. The last thing you need to worry about is a mortgage."

Beck knew his dad was right. He was excited to be a dad, even though he knew it would be the most difficult thing he would do with his life.

"You'd really do that for us? Buy us a house?"

"Considering the circumstances that you're in, buying you two a house to raise five kids in is the least your mother and I can do."

"I'm going to go check on Jade, make sure she's still doing alright," Cora said, excusing herself from her husband and son.

Cora made her way back inside the house and as she expected, Jade was sitting in the front room, barely able to keep her eyes open. It brought back memories of being pregnant with Beck for Cora and she understood, for the most part at least, everything that Jade was feeling.

"Would you like me to get you a pillow?" she asked.

Her remark tore Jade out of her semi-conscious state. "What – no, I'm fine."

"Tired, huh?"

"I'm constantly tired. I'm not sure if that's normal or not," Jade finally said. "And the lack of coffee isn't helping."

"Being tired is perfectly normal. When I was pregnant with Beck, I must have taken a nap almost every day in the last month."

"Then why do I want one so badly now? I'm a little over two months along."

"Or could be because you just ate and eating can cause a person to become tired. Being pregnant…as much as people say it's a gift, to those of us that are carrying the baby, it doesn't always feel that way," she explained. She purposely didn't say babies. She didn't know if Jade wanted her to know that information yet.

Jade looked down at her stomach and rubbed it again. The sensation soothed her and kept her calm.

"Jade, I'm beyond excited to be a grandmother," Cora began.

"Even though you're about to be a grandmother to five and not one child?" Jade asked quietly.

"Yes. Still excited. Beck showed us the ultrasound picture. I can't begin to imagine what you're going through. Pregnancy should be a joyous occasion but in your case, it's a lot to deal with. I know Beck is supporting you. I have no doubt about that but are you alright?"

"It's…the idea grows on me a little more every day, no pun intended or anything. I don't want to get rid of them and even though it's…I love these kids even though I don't know them. They're Beck's. They're mine. But I don't know how we're going to do this."

"Life is full of surprises, isn't it?" Cora asked.

Jade looked down at her not so flat stomach. "Yeah. I try to be excited about this and there are moments that I really am excited and other times where I don't know what's supposed to happen, which I would think would scare me, but it doesn't for some reason."

As Cora and Jade shared a calm, and what could be considered a peaceful moment in the midst of Jade's pregnancy, Beck made his way into the living room, his dad in tow.

"We need to head over to Mitch's office," Beck said.

"Your publicist?" Jade asked, worry beginning to take over. "Do you think-"

"I'm not sure but he said it was urgent. He wouldn't have us going over so late if it wasn't important."

Jade nodded her head. She turned to Cora, who embraced her in a hug.

"If you need anything, call. And you're always welcome here. You can drop by anytime."

Jade didn't know how she was lucky enough to get Beck and then be even luckier by gaining a mother in law who understood and accepted her.

"I know you don't like to be people to see it, but you're a wonderful person and I'm sure you don't believe it, but you're going to make a wonderful mother."

"How do you know?" Jade asked.

Cora smiled.

"I just do."


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: We don't own Victorious. Dan Schneider does.

* * *

**Chapter 7**

* * *

Beck and Jade had a sinking feeling as they drove to Mitch's office. It was almost ten by the time they arrived, but Beck knew if he was being called in at this hour, it was important and it needed to be addressed.

"Whatever it is, we'll get it taken care of," Beck said. But Jade couldn't get herself to believe him. It might have been her maternal instinct kicking in, but Jade was almost positive that their secret was about to be leaked, if it wasn't already.

As they made their way inside, a loudly dressed woman, wearing an outft that Jade could only describe as atrocious, made notice of their presence.

"I'm sorry, this office is closed," she said. "I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave."

Beck's publicist, a quite overweight bald man by the name of Mitch, came out from around the corner.

"Cyndi, it's fine. I called them in. You can go home. This won't take long. Follow me," Mitch said. He led them down the hall and around the corner, into the corner office that was only given to the best publicists in town. Mitch was one of them.

"Have a seat."

"I'd rather stand," Jade retorted.

Beck looked at his wife and immediately took notice her expression. It was a mix of annoyance and…worry, perhaps. He shrugged it off the moment being and sat down across from Mitch. His publicist turned his monitor to the couple. On the top of the page, plastered in big bold letters:

**BABY OLIVER ON THE WAY?**

Jade was livid but she fought the urge to place her hands on her stomach. Beck stood up and stood next to Jade. He wasn't exactly sure how she was going to take this sudden invasion of privacy.

"I need to know," Mitch said. "Is it true? I've been getting phone calls almost all night about it."

"Yes, Jade's pregnant," Beck said. He took Jade's hand in his own and squeezed reassuringly. He knew Jade didn't want people knowing, least of all the press, but they weren't going to be able to keep this secret until the birth. They knew that.

But they could keep it the number of children a secret from the press. Celebrities got pregnant all the time; this could be another one of those situations. But Beck wasn't entirely sure if he could trust Mitch with the information of five children. He knew Jade wanted to keep it as quiet as possible and only tell the people she was close to. And Mitch was not one of those people.

"Congratulations! When are you due?" he asked. Jade quickly took notice of how eager he seemed to get that information.

"December eighteenth," Beck quickly replied. He was fully aware he was lying to his publicist but he also picked up on Mitch's eagerness. Besides, Beck did get Jade pregnant in early March so having a baby in December seemed logical. And Althea hadn't given them an expected due date, just a time parameter to get to.

"And we want to keep this as quiet as possible," Jade added.

Mitch sat down and ran his hand over his face. "It's not going to be easy. Beck, you're one of the biggest stars right now. Everyone knows who you are and everyone knows who your wife is."

"I'm asking you for a favor. The last thing any of us need is Jade stressing out," Beck pointed out.

Mitch sighed. "I'll see what I can do."

Jade was out the door before Beck could say a word to her. How could this have happened? Was she getting that big already? She looked down at her stomach and it was bigger than she last remembered. How could they have been so careless to not keep it hidden away?

She wouldn't say anything as they drove home and it worried Beck, but he didn't push on it. Not now. Later. Definitely later. But even they arrived home and made their way inside, Jade didn't say a word.

Beck tried to accept it as shock for her, but he absolutely hated it when Jade shut him out like this.

"It's okay," he whispered.

"I'm going to bed."

"I'll join you. We both need some."

The mood was still tense as the couple got ready for bed. It used to be this tense when Jade got so angry at Beck, but now, Jade was mad at herself. She felt like it was her fault that the world was about to know, even though it wasn't entirely truthful. Still, it was only going to get worse.

"Secret's out," she finally said as she crawled into bed and found her familiar position with her husband.

"Only part of it," Beck reminded her.

It was only a matter of time and they both knew it. Jade attempted to curl up in her ball like position she did when she was upset but barely managed to succeed. Beck felt guilty even though he knew this wasn't his fault. He wrapped his arm around his wife and drew her close. "Jade, you knew we couldn't keep it hidden forever."

Jade nodded her head. It was only a matter of time before the press found out about the quints but maybe being pregnant would keep them quiet and content for now.

"It's going to get so much worse when they're born. You know that, right?" Jade whispered.

"I know. It won't be Baby Oliver but more like Olivers. But Jade, I'm going to protect those kids with my life. And they are going to have the most normal childhood we can give them. Babe, these are our kids, not the worlds. They're ours."

"I know."

* * *

"Do you want me to drive you to your appointment?" Beck asked.

It had been a little more than three weeks since the news that Beck and Jade were expecting had broke, but everyone still thought she was only pregnant with one, much to the couple's relief.

"I'm pregnant, not incapable. I'll be fine. But you need to be at these appointments. I'm going to start dragging you to them," Jade stated.

Beck shook his head. "This is the first appointment that I'll be missing but I have to go this meeting. I should be home for dinner."

Jade rolled her eyes at her husband as she grabbed her keys and headed out. She had a suspicion that her husband was up to something since the movie had wrapped and he had talked to his agent about talking a little personal time, so what meeting would he possibly have to go to? But she tried to let it slide. As long as it wasn't a consistent thing, it probably wasn't serious.

As soon as she parked her car at the hospital for her appointment and got out, some paparazzi guy snapped a picture. Jade was livid but tried not to let it bother her. Yes, she was angry. There was no denying it. But she didn't want the press to get more invasive and discover the real secret of five children. So, she held her head high and walked inside, doing her best to avoid the one thing that was bound to get worse once she gave birth.

"I'm here for an appointment with Dr. Durant," Jade said.

The receptionist typed something into the computer as Jade impatiently tapped her foot. The receptionist didn't even notice.

"It looks like she's running a few minutes late but I can get you set up in a room while you wait if you'd like."

Jade nodded her head and followed the receptionist back.

"Go ahead and make yourself comfortable. She shouldn't be long."

Jade didn't say anything as she sat down in the chair next to the examination table. The less she thought about being in the hospital, the easier this was for her. She pulled out her cell phone and saw she had one missed phone call from André and a text from Beck.

Beck's message was simple: _143._ Jade couldn't help but smile. That was their number. It was the number on Beck's RV before he sold it. It was the number of letters in I love you. It was their special thing that only they understood. She sent back the same number, only with a two at the end.

"Sorry I'm late," Althea said as Jade sent off the message. "My last patient lasted a little longer than I intended. How are you doing?"

Jade shrugged her shoulders. "I'm getting hounded by the press. They know Beck and I are expecting."

"I know. I saw it this morning. Do they know that you're having five?"

Jade shook her head. "I don't think so. Beck even lied to his publicist about my due date because we didn't know and even you said you wanted to get to twenty four weeks. But I don't know if it'll stay that way."

"I'd like to keep it that way for as long we can. You don't need any more stress and I'm sure you like your privacy. Shall we get started?"

Jade nodded her head as Althea took her weight and measured her stomach. Jade was definitely getting bigger.

"I've gained some weight, haven't I?" Jade asked.

"Some, yes," Althea replied, making notes on Jade's chart. "You are right on schedule for where you need to be."

Jade had to remind herself to take a deep breath. Weight gain was a normal part of pregnancy, even more so with five children. Gaining weight in this situation didn't make her fat.

"Would you like to see if we can hear their heartbeats?"

Jade thought about it for a minute. It would be wonderful to hear the heartbeats of the children growing inside her, but she knew Beck would love to hear it too. And she didn't want to take that opportunity away from him.

"Beck should be here for that," Jade said.

"I would like to see how they're doing though and maybe I'll be able to get a few pictures for you."

* * *

As Althea began to set up the ultrasound machine, Jade tried to position herself comfortably on the examination table, without much success.

"Are pregnant women always this uncomfortable?" Jade asked.

"Let me grab you a pillow. That might make it easier for you."

Two minutes later (along with three pillows), Jade was somewhat comfortable on the ultrasound table. _Somewhat_.

"Better?"

Jade nodded her head. "It's going to get worse before I give birth, isn't it?"

"More than likely, yes. Your pregnancy isn't going to be as predictable as others but there's enough research out there that I will be able to gauge what we need to do. Did the shock finally go away?"

Jade shook her head. "No. But it got easier to deal with. I don't think the shock will ever go away to be honest. It'll make one heck of a story to tell the kids, won't it?"

Althea smiled as she began the ultrasound. Along with Jade, she was excited to see how these children were doing.

"Here are Babies A and B."

She moved the wand and then pointed out Babies C and D. They were tiny but Jade still couldn't help but smile when she saw the outline of them.

"This is crazy."

"And it looks like Baby E is going to be a little shy and not let me see them."

"Is that the one that looks like it's hiding in the back?

Althea nodded her head. "So who would Baby E take after: you or Beck?"

"Probably me. I'm the stubborn one. Beck is definitely the more easy going of the two of us."

"I've seen how important Beck is to you. Has he been supportive?"

"He doesn't give me coffee."

"You can't have any caffeine. I'd like to try to have Beck here next week if that's possible."

"I'll drag him here if I have to."

"I'm sure you will. In the meanwhile, take it easy and enjoy the time to yourself while you can have it."

"You didn't say anything to the press, did you?" Jade asked, needing to clear the air and make sure her bases her all covered.

"No. If you hadn't asked me to keep it quiet, I still wouldn't have said anything. You and Beck deserve your privacy like everyone else. Just because you chose a life in the entertainment industry doesn't mean you should have every detail of your life exploited. I'll see you next week."

* * *

Beck felt like his life was full of meetings. If he wasn't meeting with his agent, he was meeting his publicist. If he wasn't meeting his publicist, he was meeting with Althea. If he wasn't with Althea, he spending some quality time with Jade, knowing very well that once those children were born, he wasn't going to get much of it.

But today, he was meeting with his parents to talk to a real estate agent. He felt genuinely bad for lying to Jade and keeping this from her, but he knew there was no way to through to her and reality was: they needed a bigger house. Unless he got the ball rolling and a plan in action, Jade was never going to go along with this.

"Are you guys sure you want to do this for us? It's a huge commitment," Beck pointed out.

Beck's parents had already firmly made their mind up. Beck and Jade needed a bigger house to accommodate their suddenly huge family. And to keep Beck out of the dog house, Cora and Henry Oliver would take whatever precautions necessary to get this process started, while still allowing Beck to have input for him and his wife.

The real estate agent that Cora and Henry had hired was an older, African American man named Patrick who looked like he might have been a football in his younger days. When Henry had called earlier that week to explain the situation, Patrick had been highly recommended as the agent they would want to work with.

"Thank you for meeting us on such short notice," Henry began.

"Of course. Now, you mentioned over the phone that you were buying a house for your son and daughter in law. Is she here with us?"

Beck immediately felt guilty. This was going to be Jade's future home and they were doing this without her. But then again, if Jade was here, she would have shot down every single idea and they couldn't stay in that townhouse, especially not with five babies on the way.

"Beck's wife would never allow us to do this for them but we've all agreed this is what they need," Cora explained.

"If you knew my wife, you'd understand," Beck added.

Patrick smiled and let out a chuckle. "I see. So, budget wise, what are we looking at?"

Henry handed a small, folded piece of paper to Patrick, never once allowing Beck to see what it was. While Beck didn't say it, he was glad he didn't know. It was one less piece of information he would have to tell Jade because buying a house wasn't going to stay a secret forever.

"That's uh…that's quite a budget."

"And we'd prefer to stay around that range."

"Dad-" Beck began.

Henry and Cora knew not to say anything about the fact there were five children on the way, especially after how the press was already having a field day with the idea of one.

"Let us," Henry told his son. "Let us do this for you.

Beck nodded his head in agreement. They needed this. And not having a mortgage to deal with was going to make dealing with five babies a lot easier.

"If you could give me a wishlist on your perfect house, what would be on that list?" Patrick asked. He leaned back in his chair and his fingers across his chest as he waited for Beck to respond. Beck hadn't really thought about what he would want if he had the perfect house. The conversation had never come up before.

"Something a little more secluded. We like our privacy."

"What else?"

Beck searched his mind and couldn't think of anything. "I'm…I have no idea."

Patrick pulled out his PearPad and showed them a picture of a very modern, three level house.

"What do you like and dislike about this house?"

Having something in front of Beck made the process much easier for him. Beck felt more decisive and in control. It was probably the most in control Beck had felt since finding out there were five fetuses. Within the hour, Patrick had a long and somewhat complicated wishlist to fulfill. But there was one last question he had to ask.

"And how soon would you like to move?" he asked.

"As soon as possible."

Now the hard part really begins. Beck had to figure out the way to Jade on board.


End file.
